THE ROLE OF CLIENT-GENERATED NARRATIVES IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

A consideration of client-generated narratives suggests that they serv e vital intra- as well as interpersonal functions in psychotherapy. In particular, narratives often represent clients' attempts to establish a sense of coherence and continuity in their lived experience; this i s illustrated by entries from two clients' personal therapeutic journa ls. The case studies are followed by a discussion of the defining feat ures of narratives in both their historical and anticipatory dimension s. The article concludes with a description of the range of procedures that constructivist therapists have developed to foster therapeutic r econstruction.